Nicola Sturgeon will not visit jailed husband Peter Murrell

Nicola Sturgeon will not visit jailed husband Peter Murrell

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will not visit or speak with her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, since he was imprisoned in June. Speaking during a podcast recording with broadcaster Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the former first minister of Scotland described herself as a mug for worrying about Murrell's mental health and wellbeing in the months leading up to his sentencing.

Murrell, 61, is serving a prison sentence of five years and three months for embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP) between 2010 and 2022. Sturgeon, 55, said she had not spoken to him since his imprisonment and stated, No. I’m not going to speak to him, I’m not going to visit him when asked if she would visit him at HMP Dumfries, where he is believed to be held.

The former SNP leader revealed she only learned Murrell intended to plead guilty a week before he appeared in the High Court in Edinburgh. It later emerged that Murrell had been negotiating a guilty plea with the Crown Office since 3 March. Sturgeon said the discovery hit me like a tonne of bricks and asserted that Murrell was still lying to me right up until the day he pled guilty.

According to Sturgeon, Murrell had become isolated and rarely left the house during that period. She said she had been concerned for his wellbeing, only to later realize, He didn’t worry about me. He didn’t worry at all about what he was doing.

Details of embezzlement

Murrell used the stolen party funds to purchase a variety of luxury items. These included:

• A Jaguar SUV and a VW Golf
• A motorhome or campervan, which Sturgeon says she never consciously saw, despite it being stored at her mother-in-law's house
• Boutique cosmetics, designer handbags, and onesies
• iPads
• Lalique Feuilles salt and pepper grinders valued at £2,618

Sturgeon stated she was still learning the specifics of these purchases while Murrell was in court, adding that she realized she had been living with somebody that I never really knew properly.

Allegations of knowledge

While Police Scotland exonerated Sturgeon following an investigation into the scandal, she continues to face criticism. In her memoirs, Frankly, she argued she was too busy running the country to notice the purchases. However, critics have pointed to photographs of her using items that resemble those bought with stolen funds, such as a £1,946 bespoke home library, a £747.50 red designer handbag, and a £425 gold pendant depicting the Northern Lights.

Sturgeon told the festival crowd that sexism and misogyny fuel the claims that she knew about the crimes. She questioned whether the same narrative would exist if a male first minister's wife had committed the offense, suggesting the public would instead assume the man was too busy running the country to know what his wife was doing.

She described the situation as deeply unjust and deeply unfair, claiming Murrell had an easier bloody ride than she has had.

Public disputes

The interview also touched upon Sturgeon's public friction with author JK Rowling. Following a post on X on Friday, in which Rowling called Sturgeon the blindest wife ever, Sturgeon described the author as obsessed with her.

Sturgeon noted their disagreements over trans rights and independence, but stated she is not at war with Rowling. When asked about a potential amnesty, Sturgeon replied that any such move probably going to have to come from her.

The couple announced plans to divorce in January 2025. Sturgeon said the process of coming to terms with Murrell's actions remains a really difficult process for her and her family.